


SLICER OF LOVE

by KiritoModjo971



Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst, Arrancar: The Arrival Arc, Cliffhangers, Declarations Of Love, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Friendship/Love, Friendzone, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:46:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29656368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiritoModjo971/pseuds/KiritoModjo971
Summary: After his defeat against Grimmjow, Ichigo is having nightmares. Every night he sees a little silhouette being crushed by a powerful force and can't sleep because he fears his failure might cost one of his friends life.
Relationships: Inoue Orihime/Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Rukia & Kurosaki Ichigo





	SLICER OF LOVE

At Karakura and since the fight between the Arrancars and Ichigo, the latter was treated by Hachigen, a member of the Vizards. The shinigami stayed asleep for a long time and finally woke up after a nightmare that seemed too real to him, showing him a small female figure with a hairstyle reminding him of someone he hadn't seen for some time. 

In this nightmare she was attacked by what Ichigo assumed was an Arrancar with a Reiatsu he knew. His heart was pounding when he woke up but because of his sudden fear and the fact that the dream seemed so real, Ichigo lost consciousness again. 

So he set off again in that same dream in spite of himself, but this time the silhouette became thinner, a muffled voice reached him and the scene became a little more clear. He wondered who that silhouette could be... Tatsuki? No, too muscular... Yuzu or Karin? A little too small... Rukia perhaps? He said to himself that with this hairstyle that perhaps stuck... 

As he continued to reflect on this, what he thought was an Arrancar appeared more clearly to him as well as his hands around the neck of this familiar silhouette. He started a frantic race before he even realized it, but his mind made him feel he was too slow and couldn't do anything. This girl's hand reached out to him like a desperate cry for help and he was about to grab her but just as he was about to intervene all the sounds around him disappeared, except for the cracking of the girl's neck.

"RUUUKIAAAA!" Ichigo woke up with a scream, still wounded and writhing in pain, realizing that maybe it wasn't just a harmless dream. He thought somehow his mind or Zangetsu were probably trying to make him understand no matter how much he fights, he will remain weak and won't be able to protect anyone. He got up and went to the bathroom to wake up a bit and then stopped in front of his mirror but he could hardly recognize himself, his eyes were empty and sad. He watched his reflection for a few moments before leaving for school on an empty stomach, without a word to his sisters and his father... let's not talk about it. 

When he arrived in his classroom he remained mute for a while, following his class with a distracted ear when suddenly a voice came to him. It took him out of his thoughts and his gaze immediately turned towards the entrance. At first he was silent, then his gaze went to amazement, when he saw Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, Toshiro and Renji at the door.

Ichigo jumped out of his chair when Renji threatened to hit him, and started running towards the window to see a figure similar to the one in his dream appear and tackle him to the ground.

Rukia slapped him violently on the back of his head and dragged him by the collar of his uniform to join Orihime, who was accompanied as always by Tatsuki. Rukia then severely ordered Ichigo to apologize to Orihime for not having been able to protect her during his last fight so he obeyed, his eyes finally returned to normal. 

That night, he had the same disturbing dream again and this time he recognized Rukia clearly, fighting in the hands of Grimmjow, laughing with all his drunkenness as if it amused him to see the poor girl fighting to take a breath. He tried to save her but like the night before the dream ended with the sound of a frail neck broken by the strength of the Arrancar. 

Shocked that he had had the same dream three times in a row, he went straight to school, calling out to Renji and Orihime, who also warned Tatsuki. He ran as fast as he could and found the others in front of the school, meeting their worried looks. 

In spite of this and without further explanation he ordered them to find Rukia as soon as possible, feeling she was in danger so they started to search the whole school and split up to search the different buildings. Ichigo took care of rummaging through the science building and the gymnasium because they looked vaguely like the place of his dream. In the gymnasium, he ran around looking for her despite the lectures and reprimands of teachers he came across along the way. Suddenly he felt two Reiatsu, one of which was very powerful so without even trying to find out if it was the same as in his dream he rushed towards them but at the bend in a corridor the more powerful of the two disappeared and Ichigo saw only Rukia, crying and leaning against the wall. 

Ichigo, worried, asked Rukia who had been there a moment earlier and who had fled just as he arrived.

“It was no one," Rukia replied with tears in her eyes. 

“Answer me," Ichigo replied, almost shouting.

“What do you have? Looks like you smelled a monster?”

“That's the third time I've seen you die at the hands of an Arrancar without me being able to do anything about it.” He looked away, relieved but a little ashamed to admit it.

“What do you mean by that?” she wondered. “But I'm not... Dead. Well, you know what I mean. Have you been dreaming or what?”

“I...Yes. Maybe they were just dreams, but it's the first time they've seemed so real, so I was afraid they would come true.”

“So you were looking for me all over the school thinking I was in mortal danger? That touches me, young man," Rukia replied with a giggle. “But you should know, it was only my brother who was lecturing me again” She sighed. “He went back to the Soul Society feeling you coming, he said he didn't want you to intervene when he was lecturing me for my well-being.”

Rukia stood up with a smile and took Ichigo's hand. Ichigo was relieved though still a little worried, but he relaxed as he felt Orihime's Reiatsu approaching. 

Without warning Rukia suddenly pulled him by the hand and turning around, she kissed him. Surprised and embarrassed, Ichigo lost his means, and this feeling became even worse when Rukia confessed that she had wanted to do it for a long time and that kissing him was probably the best way to cheer him up. 

Still flustered, Ichigo refused her advances because it seemed too complicated, she was a spirit and he was a living being, it just wasn't possible even with a Gigai. And then beyond that... 

Without another word Rukia understood and displayed a sad smile. "I see... You like her that much, don't you?" Then with a gesture of approval of the head, she motioned for him to join the others. 

When she arrived near them Rukia noticed Orihime was holding her stomach in a strange way, and was going to ask if everything was okay but was beaten by Ichigo who worried about her. 

The girl answered that her belly was already hurting a little when she arrived at school but that in the urgency of the situation she had preferred to keep quiet about her pain in order to find Rukia and make sure she was okay. Rukia responded lightly and mockingly with a pat on the back. “Don't worry about me, my dear Orihime, this big idiot Ichigo was scared on a whim because of a "premonitory" dream, according to him, but the most important thing now is to know if you are well. What did you eat this morning?"

“Well, I ate one of my favorite recipes of rice cake with banana and seaweed sauce," she replied after a moment's reflection. “By the way, you told me that you would think about coming to taste my cooking one of these days!”

“Yes, I know, I know, but for the moment you need to take care of yourself," the little brunette said, hoping her friend would soon forget the idea. “Let's find an empty room.”

Ichigo carried Orihime on his back and then, accompanied by Rukia, he looked for a room where she could be treated, trembling with pain and no longer hiding her pain. 

Arriving in a science room, she invoked the two healing flowers, Shuno and Ayame, while Rukia volunteered to stand guard in case someone came in and said to herself, "Maybe this time you'll tell her... Right Ichigo?”

The latter, sitting near the entrance, heard Orihime call out to him and then, taking his hand, she finally admitted that it was in fact not a simple stomach ache but a sword blow that she received when she came to join them. Ichigo didn't understand why she hadn't warned him earlier, but she replied. "Because Rukia was perhaps in danger and it was necessary to act quickly.”

Ichigo, disconcerted and worried, sermonized Orihime, but the latter drew him to her in the bubble of care and asked her after a silence that lasted only a short moment. “Tell me... Do you and Rukia, you...?”

“Do we what?” He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what she was getting at.

“Well, you know... Do you...” Embarrassed and feeling her cheeks blush, she looked away.

“Did you? But no, we're not... Well, we're not....” Embarrassed too, he began to make a lot of disapproving gestures.

“Um, I believe you," she said, straightening up. “It reassures me, I...”

“You should stay in bed, you're going to...”

He was interrupted by Orihime's hand, which she raised to silence him. "Don't worry, there's nothing serious anymore and I'm still in the field of action of Shuno and Ayame," she said, raising her eyes to him. "But... what would make me feel a little better would be to... 

“to what? Tell me, Orihime, I want to help you.”

“...To kiss you Kurosaki-kun!”

“Huh? I want to... But...”

Without being able to add another word their lips found each other and even though Ichigo kept his eyes wide open in astonishment he didn't push her away and instead took advantage of that kiss he had been longing for. He caressed her cheek tenderly before separating from her and meeting her gaze.

“I promise you,” he said. “You won't find yourself in that position again!”

“What do you mean? What position?”

“I will protect you, no one will hurt you anymore... You have my word, Orihime!”

She looked at him gently, tears in her eyes. "Thank you Ichi, I'll try to have your back too!”

Rukia, having heard everything from her place behind the door, closed her eyes and thought to herself that this idiot will never change while hardly feeling a small tear beading at the corner of her eyes and sliding down her cheek. Hearing the others arrive she quickly wiped it off and looked away, indicating to their friends that the other two were inside. So she knocked on the door and entered to found them both turning around without saying anything, embarrassed. 

Rukia decided to start a conversation and told the others about Orihime's aggression, but Orihime was surprised: "Wait, you heard everything?”

“Yes of course," she said, shrugging. “The walls are pretty thin, you know.”

“haaeinnnn?!”

Again embarrassed, Ichigo and Orihime looked away and let Renji resume. "Anyway... What do we do about all this?”

“You know very well, old Renji," Ichigo answered, suddenly determined.

“We're going to find the people who did this and do what we have to do.” Urahara came through the window at that moment, as usual, and took everyone by surprise with her answer.

Ichigo wondered if it meant that he already had a plan, but knowing the specimen it wouldn't surprise him.


End file.
